Beijing, China – On September 15th, the first training specifically designed for senior managers of foundations in China was held in Beijing. The training event, titled “Excellence: Effectiveness and Innovation – Training for Secretary Generals of Chinese Foundation”, was jointly initiated by Give2Asia and China Foundation Center (CFC) in November of 2012. Give2Asia made a grant of US$142,857 to CFC for this pilot program.

In the past five years, China has experienced a rapid development in its philanthropic industry, with the number of foundations growing by an average of more than 20 percent, and totaling approximately 3,000 nationwide. However, in contrast to this significant growth, there is a growing gap between the supply and demand of well-qualified senior staff to run these foundations, which jeopardizes the effectiveness and efficiency of foundations, as well as the healthy development of the philanthropic industry.

Based on baseline survey and interviews with foundation senior leaders, the project team led by CFC designed and developed an innovative set of training courses with input from top experts in various fields. The training session was divided into seven sections: overall management; organization governance; strategy, planning and program design; brand and sales; fund-raising; asset management; and, team inspiration.

Twenty-nine Secretary-Generals, Vice Secretary Generals, and senior managers of foundations from all over the country have participated in the first training session from September 5-8 and September 12-15, 2013. Top experts from both business and philanthropy industries presented in-depth lectures and case studies to the trainees during the eight-day session, covering almost all aspects of foundation operations, from strategy to project implementation.

According to a survey, 87 percent of the trainees expressed a strong willingness to recommend the training to peers, and 91 percent will definitely take action based on the training.

“This is the best and most useful training that I have ever participated in,” one of the participants said during the awards ceremony. “It is much more than training on foundation management and operations. From a brand new perspective, it has shown that some for-profit ideas and ways of thinking could also be adopted into our non-profit work on a daily basis.” Another participant also commented that this innovative training also provided unique and unforgettable memories, as well as high-profile networking opportunities within and without the industry.

Following the successful first session, the second session of Secretary General Training will be held in November 2013, where around 30 more Secretary Generals from foundations all over China will participate.

Give2Asia

Local Knowledge Counts

Give2Asia strengthens communities throughout Asia by building trusted networks for charitable investment.

People investing in charitable programs strive to understand the local context and the impact of their giving. Give2Asia makes it possible to support local organizations in Asia addressing critical issues such as healthcare, education, livelihood, and the environment. We build long-term connections between donors and local programs in Asia by fostering trust and accountability on both sides of the relationship.

Give2Asia has a team of local staff, advisors, and partners that ensure projects are effective, results are transparent, and grant recipients are accountable. We report on activities to certify that projects meet the needs of the target beneficiaries and the donor, and we try to find new ways to expand sources of funding.